Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

something, yet nothing definite could be turned up against him. Holly's eyes widened at the figure that represented Frampton's estimated net worth. Her first thought was of how much Earth Guard could accomplish with only a fraction of that amount.
    Her second thought was how satisfying it would be to see Jerry Frampton lose it all.
    It was the last report by Rachel Greenley that offered some hope of that event coming to pass. A new detective hired by Cheryl had snapped a candid photo of Jerry Frampton in the midst of a heated argument with an ex-con named Mick D'Angelo. The picture was taken on the grounds of Frampton's well-guarded private estate in Boca Raton, Florida. Rachel had used the FBI's resources to confirm and elaborate upon the information the detective uncovered.
    After Frampton's football injury, he shared a room in a Miami, Florida, hospital with D'Angelo, a man with a long list of misdemeanors on his official police record. On several occasions afterward, Frampton was observed dining with D'Angelo in the Hon Choi restaurant on Miami's South Beach. The owner, Tommy Li Chen, reluctantly revealed that Frampton was a close friend of D'Angelo's, a regular at the establishment.
    About a year after Jock was launched with great success, D'Angelo was arrested on several counts of child abuse and possessing and selling child pornography. One hour after an extremely high bail was set, it was posted by Jerry Frampton. When the case went to court, D'Angelo had the best attorney money could buy. Charges of child abuse were dropped and D'Angelo ultimately served only one year in prison.
    Holly could see how a connection between Jerry Frampton and Mick D'Angelo could be detrimental, but she hadn't an inkling of how she could assist in his downfall, as April had suggested she might. Nevertheless, the idea intrigued her. A full schedule awaited her at the office, but she promised herself at least to call April and find time to listen to what she had to say.
    * * *
    David Wells was batting a thousand that morning. First he had received a call from his police friend with the information he'd requested. Red's name was Rachel Greenley and a coworker at the FBI disclosed that she was a top agent whose special domain was serial murders. She was also a loner and a heavy drinker. There was a supposition that she was a lesbian but the coworker had never seen her socializing with a woman or a man.
    Interesting data but it didn't give a clue as to why she would be meeting with Donner.
    After setting a date to take the detective to a Redskins game, David got to work figuring out why the name Philip Sinkiewicz had rung a bell. A simple Google search served up the public facts about the man who had founded Earth Guard and his lovely associate, Holly Kaufman. Although the lobby represented many environmental concerns, Holly's efforts focused primarily on ridding the planet of garbage.
    For the private information, he turned to Christine Crowley, the paper's society columnist and D.C.'s favorite gossip. She was a woman well past middle age, whose less than perfect features looked only slightly better with makeup and a spiky black hairdo—but people didn't court her because of her appearance. Christine knew everything about everybody in the capital, including tidbits that couldn't be printed in her column.
    "There's not much to tell," she told him without hesitation. "They've been considered a couple for years, since his wife's death, and the word is he was a friend of her family's long before she went to work for him. Mind you, I said considered a couple. As far as I know, there have never been any weekend rendezvous in the country, no public kisses and no cohabitation. If they're lovers, they're fanatically private about it."
    "Good."
    "Hold on there, Romeo. Do I detect the rising of testosterone? Let me save you some time and energy. Some powerful men have tried to storm that pretty fortress and wound up slinking away without winning so much as a smile from her. From all reports, Philip Sinkiewicz is the only man with whom she conducts more than business and, as I said, no one can confirm exactly how much more that actually is."
    David smiled as he felt himself automatically rising to a new challenge. "Then there's no problem, because my interest in her is strictly business. She knows something that I don't and I want to find out what that is."
    Christine smirked at him. "Right. I'll pretend to believe you're not interested in